I really haven't had much of a pest problem over the years except for the red aphid thing on the heliopsis. I eventually just got rid of the plants because it bugged me so much and I was too lazy to do anything about it. However, I did order one plant this year - don't recall which one at the moment - and I'm going to try it in a new location which isn't as hot and dry as the previous one. The Japanese Beetle problem is a relatively new one for me and so far they only go after the roses which is OK since roses aren't my favs anyway and the few plants I have would be too much work to remove. As mentioned they only seem to be a problem in mid summer, so I can still enjoy the early and late flowers. I almost forgot. Every year I do have this very strange looking, black larva-like critter on 1 variety of goldenrod. If I don't spray, they strip the plant bare in a couple of weeks and foliage remains almost non-existent the rest of the summer. I ignored it the first few years, but do spray now when I first see them. It's worth the effort. And no, they aren't caterpillars of some wonderful butterfly, they are more like a shell-less, black beetle and only come out at night to feed. Now that I think about it, they kind of look like black lady beetle larva, but aren't lady beetle larva meat eaters? Kevin

BAD, BAD, BAD BUG! That little devil has already stripped the leaves off of that rose he's sitting on. He will metamorphose into one of those bird-sized horse-faced grasshoppers that are bigger than the average California Towhee. By the way, those grasshopper nymphs make great pets for kids. They are lousy astronauts, though. Can't handle the g-forces of the bottle rocket, as I recall. Renee

Hi Still have any available??? Shoot me an email if you do Thanx DC dethcheez@aol.com

I've seen a lot of spiders this year. Just the other day there was a large, furry black one on the door handle! I love them, though, b/c I know they represent just a small portion of the arthropod diversity that has built up in the yard over the last few years. A couple weeks ago a pest company came to the door, offering services. When I declined, they looked at my porch light that was covered in webs (admittedly I hadn't cleaned it in a while) and mentioned that many of the people in our neighborhood were finding spiders to be a particular problem. I said "They're not a problem for me!" ;-) I do prefer they live outdoors, however. When I find them in the house I'll usually move them out.